The gift of weeds

I was out walking my Sacred Land the other day when I ran across a weed.  It was growing right there in the middle of a grassy meadow.  Standing out strong and proud.

My first thought was to notice and label it as a WEED, like it did not belong there, like it was not a cherished part of the meadow, like it had nothing to gift to the Land.

Then something clicked in my heart and I shifted from head to heart.  I saw beauty.  I saw strength.  I saw courage. I was stopped in my tracks invited by this weed to sit and meditate.

I sat.  I stared at this weed growing in the middle of the meadow.  I sank deep into silence, listening for the Sacred’s invitation.

Then the Sacred began to place questions before me:

What if I stopped pulling the weeds in my inner garden?  

What if I stopped labeling plants WEEDS?   

What if I stopped labeling parts of my life/parts of me as WEEDS?

What if I allowed that which I have labeled as weeds to grow and blossom?  

Would they end up being these beautiful flowers standing strong before me?  

What GIFT will I find in the ‘weeds’ of my life — those experiences, moments, feelings I would rather toss away/ignore?

As I contemplated this beautiful, gorgeous powerful weed, my heart broke open to welcome my weeds into the fullness of my being.

Welcome, weeds.  May your beauty, strength, courage radiate forth Light and Love within me and outward into the World…